Improvement in devices for controlling fluids tfnber pressure



Y uw i. @timidi uw a...

.IEARUM ATKINS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Leners Patent No. 88,431, man Marc/1.30, leon.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVCBS'OR CONTROLLING- FLUIDS UNDER. PRESSURE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent Vand making part o! the same.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J EARUM ATKINS, of Washington, in the county of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvennnt in Mechanical Movements for Controlling the Action of Fluids under Pressure; and I do hereby' declare the following to be a full, clear, and eiract description of theV same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a horizontal section through my apparatus, to exhibit the relation and movements of its parts.

Figure 2 is a cross-section on line :1J-x, to exhibit the structure ,of the parts.

My invention consists in producing a cut-off motion by alternate movements of a valve and its seat; that is to say, the valve moves away from its seat, to open a port, and the seat moves to the valve, to close said port.

- In all valve-motions heretofore constructed, the port could only be opened and closed by the movements of the valve, the valve-scat being relatively stationary.

The principle of operation of my apparatus is applicable to many diierent purposes, for which great power for execution and seusit-iveness to control are required. Among these purposes I will mention operating the rudder 4to steer a ship, handling heavy guns, and other ponderous masses, controlling the link-mo-. tion of steam-engines, operating iron-planin g machines, controlling the throttle-valves of steam-engines, 812e.

The drawing represents my invention in its simplest form, and divested of all those accessories which may be-requred to adapt it to particular purposes, my intention being to exhibit only the essential principle of operation in which my invention rests, and which must be present, however m uch its form and the details of construction may be varied.

I will now describe the elements of my invention as embodied inthe simple apparatus shownV in the drawings.

A is acylinder working over a stationary piston, O. The pistou-ered B. is rigidly secured, at its outer end,

to some portions of the frame-work M, by which the apparatus is supported, and works through a stuffingbox at the end of the cylinder.

At theopposite end of the cylinder is a rod, N, the axis 'of which is coincident with the axis of the pistonrod B. 'lhe rod N is rigidly secured to the end of the cylinder, and moves forward and backward, in the direction of its length, in a' bearing upon some convenient and proper portion of the frame-work that supports the apparatus. l

It will thus he seen that the cylinder A may move forward and backward upon the piston-rod B, said'rod serving as a guide at one end-of saidcylinder, and the l rod N serving asa guide for the other end of the same.

If fluid under pressure be admitted to one end of the cylinder A, said cylinder will be caused to move,-

in obedience to the pressureV ofsaid duid against the piston O on the one side, and the cylinder-head on the other, and the expression of the power exerted by said movement is found by multiplying the area of the pistou into the pressure of' the fluid. This motion of the cylinder may be communicated in a varietyrof ways to suoli mechanisms as it may be desired to influence.

The lever K, then, is to be understood as representing any appliance which it may be desirable to use in communicating the motion of the cylinder A to the mechanism to be actuated. The form in which this appliance may be put, and the manner of its connection with the motor, may be as various as the diii'erent purposes for which the appliance may be used.

This invention has for its object the principle of ope-ration by which the movements of the cylinder may be controlled, and its operation made intermittent, or irregular, at the will of an attendant, or in obedience to the movements of some other mechanism. I attach-to the side of the moving-cylinder, a valvecase, D, having ports which'communcate with either-v endof the cylinder, and a feed-pipe, J, by which the iluid under pressure may be conducted to the interior of the valve-case. vWithin said valve-case is arranged a valve, to cover the ports when the apparatus is at rest.

The valve-case is represented in the drawings as a hollow cylinder, D, open at each end, and surrounded by two annular chambers, which form the portsE and F. The valve is represented by a provided with two anges, or collars, H I, accurately iitted to the interior surface of the valve-case, and placed upon said stem, at distances from each other equal to the distance between the ports E and F, so` that both of said ports will begin to open lor be entirely closed at the same instant.

Attention is now called to the fact that the valvecase is attached to and forms a part of the cylinder, and' partakes of its movements. It may be cast in one piece with the cylinder, or it may be made separight, say one inch, the valve G must then' be moved to the right one inch. The ports E and F are thereby uncovered. .The port F becomes an induction-port, and the port E, an exhaust.

` The fluid under pressure, which at all times lls the space between the flanges, or collars H I, within the valve-case, instantly begins to ow'through the port F, and causes the cylinder itself to move to the right and communicate its motion to the lever IC, and the mechanisms attached thereto.- As the cylinder moves, it carries the valve-case with it. As it advances upon the valve, the ports are closed again, and when they are entirely closed, the pressure is out off, and motion will cease. At that point the apparatus will rest until a new' movement of the valve again uncovers the ports and admits pressure to the cylinder.

It will be apparent, from the above description, that cylindrical stem, G, I

while the valve may be moved, to open the ports and mechanical appliances, or is simply the reflex action of other mechanisms.

v If this apparatus is employed for'm'oving the rudder of a shipthen the lever Lirepresents a hand-Wheel. Iffto. move the throttle of astearn-engine, then the said ylever represents a primary .governor-,4 operating through the reflexA action of the prime mover.

If compressed air is the fluid employed to move the cylinder, then the valve-case D may be made open vat both ends, and the exhaust be permitted to escape directly into the surrounding atmosphere. This would be objectionable, however, ilTJsteam or water should be employed, and in that event the valve-case Dv should be provided with passages toconduct away the exhaust.

In, operation the valve and the cylinder, or its equivaient, will move practically at the same moment, the

cylinder following close upon the movement of the valve, and under no circumstances can the cylinder move past the point of equilibrium, because, in doing so, the 'ports would be opened to a reverse action of the" yfluid under pressure;-that is to say, the inductionport would be open as an exhaust, and the exhaust as an induction, and pressure introduced to oppose said movement Having described my invention, f What I claim as new, is The 'combination of a movable valve-case, D, provided with ports E F, and a movable valve, H I, said valve and valveease having a reciprocal movement, as

described,so thatthe ports will be opened by a move nient o`f the valve, and closed by a movement of' the valve-seats, substantially inthe manner and upon the principle herein set forth. Witnesses:

R'. D. O. SMITH, R. S. Tun-NER.

IEARUM Arms; 

